Nurturing the World

This morning, I'm thinking about mothers.  I'm thinking about my wonderful mother.  My mom is/was a great mom in so many ways: in the way that she always encouraged me to read, in the way that she encouraged creativity, and in the ways she showed me how to care for my physical body.  She taught me how to be a female in a world that can be very difficult to navigate, especially for those of us in female bodies.

I'm thinking about my sister, who is a mom too--in fact, my family will be spending Mother's Day by watchin my nephew play soccer.  That's what moms do, delight in their offspring.  I was lucky enough to have a mom who did that--and still does.

I'm also thinking of our nation and how we support mothers.  We don't do a very good job.  Sure, there's this one day--which is mostly designed to make us spend money.  But we don't spend money in places where it might really matter, places like child care that's open at odd hours.

I am not the first person to note that we can tell a lot about a society, or an organization or a person, by looking at where it spends its money.  In the U.S., we are not a culture that celebrates mothers much at all.

I'm also thinking about how we mother each other, and how many of us need to do a better job of that.  I'm lucky to have my mom still,  an example of a healthy, happy woman--one of the best gifts she gave me is showing me that one can be a woman and find fulfillment in all sorts of ways. But for those of us who never had that experience, what can we do?

Regardless of our gender, I'd urge us all to be mothers to all of creation.  We live in a broken world, a world in desperate need of nurturing.  Some of us are good at caring for children.  Some of us are better at caring for animals.  Others of us are mourning the larger picture, as we see our planet in perils of every sort.

So on this mother's day, as we think of all the people who have nurtured us, let us resolve to return that gift, in whatever way best fits our skills, talents, and gifts.  It is what God calls us to do--and what the world so desperately needs.